Etude House Real Art Cleansing Balm Review

October 29, 2012

Etude House, one of the huge Korean cosmetic companies has a range of cleansers called ‘Real Art’- the collection covers everything for your cleansing needs; cleansing oil for dry and oily skin, cleansing foam, cleansing wash. I decided to buy the Cleansing Balm to try simply because it sounded different and I’ve had good experiences with balms in the past.

See that? It’s the Mona Lisa!

I haven’t actually found a cleanser from any Japanese or Korean brands I really love – even though they look great and sound clever, my skin is easily dried out.

When I think of a cleansing balm, I think of quite a thick textured oily product which needs a bit of warming to melt. This product is very very loose textured, like butter that has been left out in a warm room. Actually, I noticed that this product had leaked somewhat when it arrived in the post despite not being opened because there is some oil that sits on top of this balm.

The packaging is good because it’s easy to use and scoop the product out although the tub is very lightweight. I would prefer a sturdier pot.

I actually really like the texture of this super duper squidgy cleanser although it’s not like the usual balm cleansers. Think of it as a thick cleansing oil instead! It smells nice, sort of fruity and it’s easy to scoop out a fingerful then to massage it all over the face.

Once you rinse, it emulsifies and comes off quite easily, but not as easily as a regular cleansing oil. That’s quite a good thing as you can get the skin really clean. I thought this worked a treat even when I was wearing heavy make up and it took lip and eye make up off (but not my waterproof mascara).

This product has really surprised me – cleansing with certain types of oils leaves my skin feeling taught and somewhat uncomfortable or itchy but not this one. My skin feels clean and comfortable afterwards (although perhaps, not ‘refreshed’). This might be a good one for the drier skinned ladies like me.

For me this is a better choice than cleansing oils which dry my skin out, although, I am only using this when I have make up to remove as I don’t want to overdo it (I am using Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish too).

Ingredients – there is mineral oil in there. I do try to avoid it but I’m not too bothered since cleanser isn’t on my skin for too long.

Verdict:

I am not sure what the other cleansers in the Real Art collection is like, but this Cleansing Balm works really well for removing make up and I would recommend it for people who find they are a bit sensitive to cleansing oils and have dry skin.